Method of allocating stack in multi-threaded sensor operating system environment

Abstract

Provided is a method of allocating a stack in a multi-threaded sensor operating system environment. The method dynamically allocates as much stack space as is required by a thread, thereby enabling efficient use of stack space. The method includes the steps of: whenever a function is called while a thread is performing an operation, dynamically allocating a stack space to be used by the called function; and when execution of the function is finished, returning the allocated stack space.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application Nos. 2006-0126390, filed Dec. 12, 2006 and 2007-0029595, filed Mar. 27, 2007, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates to a method of allocating a stack in a multi-threaded sensor operating system environment, and more particularly, to a stack allocation method dynamically allocating as much stack space as is required by a thread, and thereby enabling efficient use of stack space in a multi-threaded sensor operating system environment.[0004]2. Discussion of Related Art[0005]In general, wireless sensor networks sense various pieces of environmental information, process it in forms desired by users, and perform real-time communication. Such a wireless sensor network comprises several hundreds or thousands of wireless sensor nodes, each of which mus...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0013]The present invention is also directed to a stack allocation method capable of considerably reducing the amount of used memory space in a multi-threaded sensor operating system environment, in comparison with a conventional static thread stack allocation method.

[0014]The present invention is also directed to a space-efficient thread stack allocation method capable of performing multi-tasks in real time while efficiently using an entire memory space.

Problems solved by technology

Such stack space allocation causes a significant problem in a sensor platform having very limited memory space.

When a thread does not use an entire allocated stack space, remaining stack space is wasted.

Therefore, static allocation and restoration of stack memory space in a space-limited wireless sensor platform may cause a serious problem in resource management.

Such a problem actually results in memory shortage of a system and causes a malfunction of an entire wireless sensor network.

Thus far, there has been no method of solving the problem in the multi-threaded task management technique.

However, such an event-driven structure does not provide a preoccupation function for real-time processing.

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